Hierophant
Mass Grave
(Season of Mist)
Hierophant’s brutal brand of blackened sludge eviscerates and slams in a nonstop motion of extreme sonic force. This Italian unit has been serving the forces of revolutionary modern death metal since their self-titled debut six years ago, and Mass Grave may genuinely be their heaviest album to date. The new album was recorded at The Pit (Nails, Xibalba), and features artwork on the cover from Paolo Giradi.
Hierophant’s music inspires dread and dystopian vision. If you’re expecting anything sophisticated, with neat and polished sounds, then you’re in the wrong neighborhood. Mass Grave is a riff Armageddon with a lot of doom tempo writing, but there are certainly some ragers on this album as well. “Crematorium” and “Hierophant” are fantastic old school style death metal rippers, and right up your alley if you reminiscence on early Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, or Obituary. Lolo’s vocal style is on one mode and one mode only; brutal. The first nine tracks on Mass Grave are emotionally vacant, nihilistic, and driven by a simplistic and authentic approach to style. Track ten begins as a ruthless groove slobber knocker topped off with an eight minute long strange noise outro dominated by static and eternal feedback. The final number loops right back into the opener, “Hymn of Perdition,” giving fans a perfect excuse to play the album through multiple times.
Listen to this album if you like to head bang.
